My mast broke!!!

[mattt6511]

So i went out today with my gf and the mast on my compac 16 broke and fell off!! The bottom of the mast looks as if it was held on by 4 wood screws, the metal standing rigging on the starboard side right by where it mounts to the fiberglass of the hull the shackle broke in half. When the mast broke the winds were pretty light i would say 10 knots max and was sailing close hauled, it was a huge shock thank goodness my gf and i didn't get hurt, we tied the mast up to the boat and got back. Anyways i have never heard of a mast just breaking like this in low winds what went wrong? How the mast is attached to the hull the 4 screws or old rigging that needed to be replaced, or a combination of the two? Does anyone have any ideas on where i can get this fixed? Any places near dunedin? I know its hard to give an estimate but what would this cost to fix? $500, $1,000, $2000! The mast and the hull of the boat held up well, heck even the rigging held up other then the one shackle but i would still feel safer with brand new metal lines.  I sent compac a email asking for advice also. What a horrible day!! On a good note before this disaster happened the boat handled very well and i seemed to be sailing along fine!

[Bob23]

Matt:
   So sorry to hear of this gear failure...glad no one was hurt. Are you saying that the chainplate broke and caused the mast to come down? The chainplates are those stainless plates bolted to the side of the hull that the shrouds are attached to via turnbuckles. Any photos would be helpful
   A dismasting is just about the worst thing that can happen to a sailboat except a sinking. Your girlfriend should feel confident sailing with you from now on...you survived a dismasting and made it back in one piece. You'll get it fixed and she'll be as good as new.
   Maybe someone in the boats distant past did some bad work on her.
Bob23

[mattt6511]

Hello thanks im so glas we were ok when it started to fall she tried to grab it! hah i yelled duck and dont grab it and we were oky, i tied the mast to the boat sails and rigging got we but as long as we were oky it really didnt matter to me we were safe! im not sure what its called that broke, i will try to take lots of pictures in a day or two when i go back. Bassicaly the bottom of the mast i see like 4 bent rusted wood screws also when it went down it broke and bent the shackle on the standing riging on the boat. I should have all the pictures uploaded on wed!

[HideAway]

Wow! that s scary!  I had Seco South make my standing rigging.  Its just off Ulmerton road in Largo near Island Packet Yachts

Seco South, Inc.
2111 34th Way
Largo, FL 33771
Toll Free: 888.535.7326
Tel: 727.536.1924
Fax: 727.539.6314

Here is the website   http://www.secosouth.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=SECO&Category_Code=marine_rigging_hardware&gclid=CImRy7CFsKYCFac65QodRA9qnA

From Dunedin just take Keene south to Ulmerton and turn left.  Its on the north side of the road but not visible from Ulmerton.  You could also take Belcher south - I think its open now then it would be all right had turns

Just bring in your standing rigging and chain plates and they will make new ones.  They are easy to install and as I recall not expensive.  Glad to hear nobody got hurt-- Matt

[Salty19]

OMG Matt!  Glad you and gf are OK!   That is never a story I like reading about, especially the first time out, but again glad you're OK.  

This probably is not going to cost as much as you think.  Probably more emotional scarring than money.  I think you're the one that got the boat for $500, right?  That's great, but often cheap boats mean "needs work".  Unfortunately the mast let you knew that.

I would without a doubt call Hutchins (edit Hideaway suggested the other place...any reputable rigging shop is fine). and get all new standing rigging (the 3 wires..2 on the sides and one front) RIGHT NOW.  If any of the chainplates where the rigging (shrouds or wires) look bent or twisted, get new ones too.  The front chainplate will be bent backwards-that's OK, look for twisting or signs that it got bent a few times.  If any doubt at all, replace them.  Seal them with something (not silicone based!) like Interlux's "boatyared bedding compound".

This is going to cost about $300 (you can install these easily). Probably closer to $375 if you need new chainplates too. That should include ALL wires, pins, cotter pins, turnbuckes and fittings. But it won't include chainplate bolts which yes get ones too.

The |_| shape stainless "plate" is called the tabernacle or mast step.   If it's bent, put it in a large vice and straighten it back out to a nice straight |_| shape.
If it looks like it's been twisted a few times or looked mangled, get a new one.  They are about $90 from Hutchins.  If your mast is bent, it's probably toast.  Some people straighten them but bad practice IMO.   One you have the rigging off, lay it on the ground, look at it real good to check for dings, dents, and straightness.  Do the same with the boom.  

The repair to where the screws came out is the question.  How bad is it?  Pictures would really help.If you're not sure how to do it, email them and I'll post them (click on my username to get email address).   This might be an easy fix, or maybe not just depends.  Couild be as easy as putting some adhesive sealant down and reinstalling the screws or putting bolts through the plate attached below with nuts and a backing plate.  

Without a doubt, you're boat needs to be checked out real good before you go out again.   ANYTHING that looks out of place probaby is.  ANYTHING smaller or weaker than it should be, should be replaced.hardware store pins and the like need to go.  


Don't feel too bad,  you're new and your boat needs a little love to get it back into sailing shape.

[rsahlender]

Seal them with something (not silicone based!) like Interlux's "boatyared bedding compound".

Another newbie question... why not silicone based?

[Salty19]

Silicone discolors gelcoat and fiberglass and it will take a lot of work to remove.  It cannot be painted over.  Anything that touches silicone cannot be painted.
Discoloration is tough to remove.   Once silicone is on a surface, it will leave a residue for many years. Nothing (ie adhesives and other bedding compounds) will stick to it either, including the part you're sealing.  Do a search on google about it to learn more about why not to use it on a boat.

EDIT: Note before I knew anything about this, I used silicone on the ol' CP16 in one spot.  For the next two years it discolored the boat around the area within about 2" of the spot.  Any dirt would stick to it making it worse. Finally bleach and a magic eraser took it off (maybe?).  I also noticed a few small spots here and there that looked similar.  This is almost certainly due to getting it my fingers and then touching other areas or setting the rag down with silicone on it.  It's not the stuff you want to seal boat parts with.

[Pacman]

+1 on avoiding silicone sealer.

The best stuff I have found, and I have tried just about every marine product that West Marine sells, is available at Home Depot for less than 1/2 the cost of "marine" sealers.

I use DAP DYNAFLEX 230.  It is an elastomeric latex sealer with no silicone that works great.  It is easy to apply and can be cleaned up with a damp rag (before it sets).

When it sets, it remains somewhat flexible and seals better than anything else I have seen.

Best of all, the cost is about right.

I first tried it as a last resort on my Contessa 26 which has chainplates that come up through slots in the deck.  They always leaked a bit with Boat Life and all the other "name brand" sealers.

DAP DYNAFLEX 230 lasts a long time too.  My chainplates are still water tight after several years now.

[Billy]

Matt,
If you need any work done to the mast (which I doubt) "JSI" in St. Pete is really good at spar work. Maybe this Friday I can go down and take a look at your boat. I'm pretty busy until then. Dang these short winter days!!! I would be glad to help you fix it.....if I can.

Glad to hear everyone is OK and the sailing was going good until then. I bet it may be an easier fix than yuo think if the fiberglass and chain plates are in good shape.

And check the parts list Gerry from ComPac sent you, I bet there is a quote for standing rigging.

[mattt6511]

Hey everyone alright i feel a little bit better about this hopefully its not that bad, my question is when i was out it was only 10- 15 knot winds tops was this a freak accident or does this happen? I mean i was moving along but i didn't think i was pushing it to the point the mast was going to break!!! I'm going to try tomorrow to go look at the boat I'm going to remove all standing rigging lines from it, tie the mast up secure and take lots of pictures of everything and post them on here so you guys can save my day! My plan is to first replace all the standing rigging, i was going to use a company i have heard very good reviews about the website is http://riggingonly.com   I'm pretty sure i can box up all my rigging and they will match everything and i can get even stronger lines for less then the factory. I did contact compac like billy recomended and they were great very friendly and very fast to respond, on the parts list it comes up   MC00R0130 R STANDING RIGGING 16 $357.00 EA. I do not think the R stands for right as there was no L on the parts list. I called riggingonly and they gave me a rough estimate of anywhere from $200-$300 with all high strength lines. Does anyone have any experience with them or should i just go right through compac? You guys seem to have all the right answers and any advice i will definitely consider. Off topic, when i was sailing it seemed as if the mast just fell, then took the rigging with it. How exactly is the mast held up am i wrong, do you think the rigging broke first then the mast came down or vice versa? And is the bottom of the mast really just screwed into the top of the deck by some wood screws!?! Anyways i will get the pictures up here as soon as i can!! Billy and I took the boat out on Saturday the day before this all happened and we had a great day, the winds were very light on that day but we had a awesome time billy is a great member on this forum and super helpfull!! As far as the mast i think its oky not quite sure how to tell but when it went it kinda just fell overboard it just fell to my port side and i grabbed it and the boom put it on deck and that's all, ill take tons of pictures!! Oh billy as far as Friday if you have time that would be awesome but if your busy its ok! Just let me know, i will be going there tomorrow to clean up the boat!

[mattt6511]

Thinking about it i think i will take the advice on here and get my rigging local instead of mailing it out, ill look into hutchins vs secosouth seems pretty good too :-) this way im dealing with a local company if i have any problems.

[BobK]

Matt,

The purpose of the metal (mast step) at the bottom of the mast that is screwed to the top of the cabin is just to keep the bottom of the mast from sliding around the deck.  The mast is actually supported by the wires (shrouds, or stays, or standing rigging).  They hold it up right - the mast step keeps the bottom of the mast from sliding.  In your first post you mentioned the turnbuckle broke or unscrewed, that is why the mast came down. 

Bob

[Salty19]

Matt,

Yes, it's kind of freak accident that the mast came down.  Rigging failure can and do happen..granted more likely on older, rusted, or more stressed equipment.

The standing rigging is something that should be replaced from time to time, perhaps every 8-12 years. Perhaps more often if the boat is used regularly, less if it's a trailer queen.  Also saltwater is harder on rigging in general.

The rigging on my 19 is showing some signs of fatigue.  One connector is a bit bent and 2 wires show an indentation (where the rigging was bent beyond it's limits).  No rust or wires coming loose.  It's all getting replaced this spring before sailing.  $652, yep the 19 has twice the amount of rigging as the 16.

This is a great story to express the need to thoroughly check any boat, new or used for any signs of potential equipment failure. If anything is suspect at all, replace it or get advice from a pro. Not just talking about the rigging, talking about everything on the boat.

[mattt6511]

wow salty $692 im hoping my rigging will cost between $250-$350 hopefully, it the lines wern't frayed or rusted the line didnt actually break the shackle that holds it to the hmmm i know you guys said what it was called the....  chainplates? i think well the shackle that held the rigging to the chainplates that broke, im going to go to the boat now ill have some pictures up later tonight!!

[Billy]

Matt,
I looked at your rigging and it didn't look bad. If it was just a shackel it shouldn't cost you more than $15. Are you sure it just didn't come undone?